As states continue to spend billions of dollars on tax and financial incentives in pursuit of an economic development strategy, the gap found when determining their effectiveness continues to widen. In response to growing scrutiny, the Council of State Governments created a working group to examine how states use business incentives. This report can be […]

Imagine an innovation in an automotive supplier’s process which enables it to replace 1,000 employees with an automated assembly system (originally designed for a health care application). The employees losing their jobs had average annual wages of $50,000 and an average length of service left before retiring of 20 years. These productivity gains enabled GM […]

In making the case that not all small businesses are the same (in their contribution to economic progress), authors Bill Aulet and Fiona Murray make the important distinction between ‘innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs)” and “small and medium enterprises (SMEs).” Familiarity with this distinction undoubtedly leads to better public policy.

Thinkspot Inc. announces the addition of Jorge Nunez to its economic development team as Financial Thinker. Nunez previously served as Chief Administrative and Financial Officer for the Division of Strategic Business Development in Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development (OTTED).

Rebecca Ryan is the author of ReGENERATION: A Manifesto for America’s Future Leaders (2013) and Live First, Work Second: Getting Inside the Head of the Next Generation (2007). Ryan’s latest insights focus on the nation’s seasonality and its current state in the middle of winter.

The Brookings Institution recently released a paper touting “The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas.” The authors define global fluency as “the level of global understanding, competence, practice, and reach that a metro area exhibits in an increasingly interconnected world economy.”

Whenever given the opportunity, Thinkspot rails against the false choice between saving the environment and creating jobs. We found a kindred spirit recently when we were introduced to the Resiliency Capacity Index (RCI) developed by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute, State University of New York and championed by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

triSect is a company you should know about. The combination of Glenda Hood, Shelley Lauten and Steve Seibert represents more than break-through thinking. In addition to launching their new company, they’re introducing much needed tools for strategy development and execution via their branded suite of services: “Civic Innovation.”

July’s Thinker of the Month is Randall G. Holcombe whose research forms the basis of Thinkspot’s passion for economic progress. His most recent book, “Producing Prosperity” suggests traditional economic development often overlooks the ultimate goal.